AT&T Reaches Halfway Mark in Commitment to Deploy 15,000 Alternative Fuel Vehicles Through 2018

DALLAS, Oct. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Halfway there and not breaking speed, AT&T has reached the halfway mark of its commitment to invest up to $565 million to deploy approximately 15,000 alternative fuel vehicles over the course of a ten year period through 2018. Since AT&T began its commitment, the company has placed over 7,500 alternative fuel vehicles in 44 states nationwide. The 7,500^th vehicle – a 2013 compressed natural gas (CNG) Chevy Express van - was delivered to a U-verse technician in Lenexa, Kansas.

The CNG van is part of AT&T's plan to deploy up to 8,000 CNG vehicles to its fleet over a five year period through the end of first quarter 2014 – the largest U.S. corporate commitment to CNG to date. The 7,500 AFVs AT&T has already placed in service are comprised of 5,474 CNG, 1,996 hybrid electric, 27 extended range electric and 3 all-electric vehicles.  AT&T's deployment of alternative fuel vehicles enabled the company to avoid the purchase of 7.7M gallons of gasoline from the beginning of the program through the end of 2012.

"With the help and support of community leaders all over the country, we've reached this major milestone and brought thousands of alternative fuel vehicles to U.S. roads," said Jerome Webber, vice president, AT&T Global Fleet Operations. "This is more than just an arbitrary number. These 7,500 vehicles represent reduced emissions, improved fuel efficiency and reduced operational costs. They illustrate our company-wide commitment to sustainability in the communities where we live, work, and play."

"As part of the National Clean Fleets program we work with large national fleets. These fleets serve the role as pace-setter, they help to promote the adoption of alternative fuel vehicles by other fleets and by retail consumers," noted Mark Smith of the US Department of Energy's Clean Cities Program. "Ultimately this gets back to improving our country's economic, environmental and energy security."

The remaining AFV deployments beyond first quarter 2014 will primarily consist of alternative fuel passenger vehicles including hybrid electric and plug-in extended range electric vehicles which will offer a significant improvement in fuel economy and reduction in tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions as compared to similar conventionally fueled vehicles.

AT&T remains committed to sustainability and was recently ranked #1 on Corporate Responsibility Magazine's 13^th Annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens List. AT&T was also included in the 2013 Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index. Visit www.att.com/csr to learn more about sustainability at AT&T.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest and most reliable 4G LTE network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries.  It also offers advanced TV service with the AT&T U-verse® brand. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

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4G LTE speed claim based on national carriers' average 4G LTE download speeds. Reliability claim based on data transfer completion rates on nationwide 4G LTE networks. 4G LTE availability varies.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.